Regan Hastings - Visions of Magic

After centuries of waiting, Torins patience was long dead. The woman he craved was, at last, almost his. For hundreds of years, hed wandered the far reaches of the globe, a shadow in his womans life, always alert for signs of the magic stirring. Now that the long-anticipated moment had come, to have the Awakening strike on a tidy suburban street in Long Beach, California, seemed almost a joke. One he didnt find amusing.

Across the street from him, a bell rang and hundreds of schoolchildren spilled from a pale green stucco building like ants from a hill. Their bright laughter sounded sharp to a man already on a razors edge. His gray eyes narrowed behind his dark glasses as he watched the kids scatter in the sunlight. The last barrier between him and his woman had fallen. His skin felt electrified with the rising of power in the air. His blood hummed and if hed had a heartbeat, it would have been thundering in his chest.

A woman hurried past him to gather up her child and gave him a quick, appraising glance. Her steps quickened, her gaze shifted from him and she rushed her child away as if they were being chased by demons.

He knew what people saw when they looked at him.

Taller than most men, he had long, dark hair that fell loose to his shoulders. He wore a black T-shirt that clung to the hard muscles of his chest and abs. His black jeans and scuffed shit-kicker boots finished off the dangerous image. His face was lean and hard, sculpted with sharp planes and angles and his pale gray eyes gave away none of his thoughts.

He looked exactly what he was.

A warrior.

A killer.

An Eternal whose second chance had finally arrived-and this time he would not be denied.

They took my mom away last night.

Shea Jameson wanted to lock her classroom door and walk away. It was the only sane thing to do. But the tremor in her students voice pulled at her. The day was over at Lincoln Middle School and the hallways should have been emptied. Shea knew because she always waited until everyone else had left the building before she headed home. She made it a point to avoid crowds whenever she could. As a teacher, she was faced with classes filled with kids every day, but they didnt bother her. It was the parents of those children that worried her.

She looked down at Amanda Hall and sympathy rose up inside her. Shea had heard the rumors, the whispers. Shed watched as the teachers had reluctantly protected Amanda from those who only yesterday had been her friends. And she knew that the girls situation was only going to get worse.

Ms. Jameson, I dont know what to do.

Her heart broke for the petite blond girl leaning against a row of closed lockers in the empty, quiet school hallway. The childs face was streaked with tears, her blue eyes swimming with them. Her arms were crossed over her middle, as if she was trying to console herself, and when she looked up at Shea, stark misery and panic were stamped on her small features.

She wouldnt be able to turn her back on the girl, despite the risks, Shea thought with an inner sigh. How could she and still live with herself?

Im so sorry, Amanda. She glanced over her shoulder to be sure there was no one near. Not a soul was around, though, and the silence, but for Amandas soft sniffling, was deafening. The beige walls were decorated with posters announcing the coming Fall Festival and Sheas gaze slid away from the drawings of cackling wart-encrusted witches burning at stakes.

The small hairs at the back of her neck stood straight up and she could have sworn that there was someone close by, watching her. A shiver of something icy slid along Sheas spine, but the halls were still empty. For now.

She shouldnt have stopped, a voice in her mind whispered. Shouldnt have spoken to the girl. No one knew better than Shea that there were spies everywhere. That no one was safe anymore. If someone should see her talking to this child now, her own personal nightmarish circus would begin again, and there was no guarantee that this time Shea would survive it.

But how could she walk away from a child in desperate need? Especially when she knew exactly what Amanda was going through? Shifting her books and papers in her arms, Shea dropped her free hand to the girls shoulder and tried to think of something comforting to say. But lies wouldnt do her any good and the truth was far too terrifying.

If Amandas mother had really been taken, she wouldnt be coming back. In fact, it was probably only a matter of time before the authorities came to snatch up Amanda as well. And that realization pushed her to speak.

Amanda, Shea asked quietly, do you have anyone you can stay with?

The girl nodded. My grandma. The police took me there last night. Grandma didnt want me to come to school today, but I did anyway and everyones being so mean She shook her head and frowned in spite of her tears. A flash of anger dazzled her damp eyes. My moms not evil. I dont care what they say. She didnt do anything wrong. I would know.

Shea wasnt so sure of that. These days, secrets were all that kept some women alive. But even if Amanda was right and her mother was innocent, there was little chance shed be released. Still, what was important now was Amandas safety. The girl had already learned one harsh lesson today-dont trust anyone. Her friends had turned on her and soon everyone else would, too. Once word got out about her mother being taken, the girl would be in danger from so many different directions, shed never find shelter.

Amanda, Shea whispered fiercely, dont come back to school tomorrow. Go to your grandmothers and stay there.

But I have to help my mom, the girl argued. I thought you could go with me to the principal and we could tell her that my moms not what they think. Moms the president of the PTA!

Shea winced as the girls voice rose. She couldnt afford for anyone to see them. Couldnt risk being seen helping the child of a detainee. Leaning down, she caught Amandas eye and said, Your mom would want you to be safe, wouldnt she?

Yeah

Then thats the best thing you can do for her.

I dont know

Amanda, listen to me, Shea said, her words coming faster now as the creeping sensation of being watched flooded back into her system. Theres nothing we can do to help your mom right now. The best thing for everyone is for you to leave here and go straight to your grandmothers. Okay? No stops. No talking to anyone.

But-

A door opened down the hall and Shea glanced toward the sound. Her stomach pitched with nerves as she spotted the school principal coming out of her office. Lindsay Talbots eyes narrowed as she noticed Amanda and Shea huddled together, speaking in whispers. Instantly Ms. Talbot darted back into her office.

Just go, Amanda, she said, giving the girls shoulder a quick squeeze. Go now.

The girl picked up on the urgency in Sheas voice, nodded briefly, then turned and ran down the hall toward the back door. Once she was gone, Shea took a deep breath, steeled herself and walked in the opposite direction. Her heels clicked on the tile floor as she neared the glass wall of the schools office. The front door was only a few feet away and the sunlit afternoon shone like a beacon of safety. She was leaving, no matter what, she thought, but she had to know what Ms. Talbot was doing.

Shea glanced through the office windows in time to see the principal hang up the phone. Then the woman turned around, met Sheas gaze and gave her a catabout-to-eat-a-canary smile.

Just like that, she knew it was over.

All of it.

Shea had been happy here. For a while. She enjoyed spending her days with the kids. She had convinced herself over the last year and a half that shed finally found safety. That her normal behavior, her gift for teaching, was enough to prove to everyone that she was nothing more than she claimed to be. A sixth-grade science teacher.